One hundred
and twelve pressure sensors in a single mould.
Is this a world record?

One hundred
and twelve is the number of Kistler (www.kistler.com) pressure
sensors fitted to the moulds for the injection moulding of insulin
pen components; one each to the 96 cavities and 16 manifolds.
The aim is to use cavity pressure monitoring to achieve zero
defect production automatically and reliably.

With a front diameter of only 1 mm, the Kistler Type 6183A pressure
sensors are the smallest ever used for cavity pressure monitoring.
The mould maker adapts the front ends of the sensors to the
contours of the cavity wall, using erosion technology to fit
both the sensors and the mould inserts. The fitting of such
a large number of sensors to a single, complex mould was made
possible by using Kistler's single-wire technology. This cut-and-grip
technique permits the sensor cables to be fitted and removed
quickly and easily without any additional tooling.

Specially developed high channel, charge amplifiers transmit
the measurement data digitally to the Dataflow process analysis
system, which offers functions for the visualization, monitoring
and documentation of injection moulding processes based on the
cavity pressure curve. As with other Kistler systems, Dataflow
monitors changes in cavity pressure in all cavities cycle by
cycle. Parts that are identified as defective or non-conforming
are automatically rejected.

Kistler
Instruments Limited
Established in Wintherthur (Switzerland) in 1957, Kistler is
represented in over 50 countries and has subsidiaries in Germany,
France, Italy, UK, Japan, USA, China, Korea and Singapore. With
a staff of more than 800, the Kistler Group is one of the world's
leading providers of dynamic measuring instrumentation. The Kistler
Group achieved turnover of 160 million Swiss Francs in the 2005
financial year.
Kistler's core competence is the development, production and
use of sensors for measuring pressure, force and acceleration.
Kistler's know-how and electronic systems can be used to prepare
measuring signals for use in analyzing physical processes, controlling
and optimizing industrial processes, improving product quality
in manufacturing and improving performance in sports and rehabilitation.
Kistler offers a comprehensive range of sensors and systems for
engine development, automotive engineering, plastics and metal
processing, installation technology and biomechanics.
Heavy investment in research and development, 15% of staff worldwide
are engaged in research and development, has generated a number
of innovations using piezoelectric, piezoresistive and capacitive
techniques to provide solutions to numerous force, pressure and
acceleration measuring problems. These innovations include the
world's first commercial quartz sensor, two-wire constant current
technology to integrate sensors with microelectronic circuitry,
high-temperature pressure sensors for use up to 400 Deg C and
three-component force measuring sensors.
____________________________________________________